Little Pink Starfish

To Yuan Yuanyuan, jumping back and forth on the body of a giant serpent wasn’t actually that difficult. What was difficult was figuring out how to use a small knife to slice open its belly.

But for the people watching below, their experience was very different—they had no idea her hands had already gone numb from the impact…

They were simply looking up at the figure in black, stunned by how he could so swiftly weave through the serpent’s crazed attacks.

To the serpent, Yuan Yuanyuan was no more than an ant—barely brushing against it should have shattered her bones. But this little ant was like a ghost, flitting across the serpent’s body.

“Oh my god…”
The monsters in the tavern and those brought by the serpent were all dumbfounded, staring up blankly. From their angle, they had to crane their necks to even glimpse what was going on above.

That figure in black moved as fluidly as flowing water, flitting across the serpent’s body in an almost unreal manner. The monsters below watched with their hearts in their throats, as he danced with grace and danger across the beast.

At one point, he even dodged beneath the flicking tip of the serpent’s tail with a perilous move that had several female demons screaming in shock.

Those screams rang especially piercingly in the tense atmosphere of the tavern.

To the monsters below, everything happening before them was shattering their worldview. Many of them had some grasp of stealth or trickery-based demonic arts.

Most demons were inherently laced with a touch of darkness—that’s something even the demon community wouldn’t deny. The few without it were likely true children of the heavens. Even in mythology, most demons possessed one or two uncanny tricks; these techniques were what the world knew as “the art of deceit.”

For example:

• Some demons killed invisibly—this was the “art of assassination.”
• Some were skilled in disguise—this was the “art of deception.”
• Some exuded overwhelming charm that could seduce the soul—this was the “art of seduction.”

Though all considered “dark arts,” these were precisely what demons excelled at—almost like their own “righteous path.”

To them, these mysterious and thrilling techniques were the most exhilarating. So even though the scene was dangerous and injuries could happen at any moment, quite a few daring demons still kept their eyes locked upward.

For a moment, under tables and in the corners of the first floor, little demons clustered like cats, sneakily looking up, unable to resist the magnetic pull.

“Ah! Did I just see…?”
A monster below suddenly shouted, face flushed with excitement, “It’s the Ghost War Dance!”

“What? Just now?”

As soon as she said it, everyone around looked up—it was like the entire crowd was offering worship.

Yuan Yuanyuan’s speed above was so fast that most couldn’t even see what was happening. Combined with the massive size of the serpent, everyone saw different things from their angles.

Some had just caught a glimpse, while others missed it completely. They looked up in disbelief—then saw the figure in black suddenly unleash another move from the “Ghost War Dance.”

His steps were lightning-fast, then suddenly matched with a strange rhythm, darting forward.

The movement was like a dance in midair, mesmerizingly beautiful, but no one in the room could replicate it.

Every demon stretched their heads to watch, while Yuan Yuanyuan, unaware, was still focused on one thing—finding Si Qun in the serpent’s belly.

Not here…
Not there either…

F**k. You’ve got to be kidding me.

Yuan Yuanyuan had no idea that her footwork just now had resembled something as legendary as the “Ghost War Dance.” She was just following the flow of her demonic technique, frantically searching for Si Qun’s trail.

The Blood Jade Demon Manual had only a few pages. The foundation of all its spells stemmed from the first technique—blood-sucking. All other techniques were evolved from it.

After mastering the basics of Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend, Yuan Yuanyuan memorized a sequence of twelve minor techniques that formed one large spell.

With her foundation already solid, learning these twelve techniques was child’s play. The manual noted:

“These twelve techniques can be practiced without the full Blood Jade Manual. Evolved from Heaven Gang and Earth Fiend, when used properly, they can claim a general’s head in the midst of an army.”

She picked them up easily, and they turned out to be quite powerful. Most importantly—they didn’t consume much demonic energy.

But even so, after hopping around like this, she was running out of energy. So she used a combination of three of the twelve techniques just now to advance toward the white serpent.

Unbeknownst to her, to the demons watching below, this was a supreme technique—

It had a name: the Ghost War Dance.

No one knows where it originated, but it was one of the top movement techniques among demons.

Some step techniques let you travel a thousand miles in a day, others let you shrink space, and someone—no one knows who—had created this:

A technique consisting of 36 moves—Ghost War Dance was one of them.

Though widespread in name, the hardest core techniques were extremely difficult to learn. “Ghost War Dance” was one of the top three hardest. Those who mastered it were considered elite assassins.

In the tavern, even though many demons were watching, some had already snuck out amidst the chaos. The serpent’s allies didn’t care—they had their hands full.

The white serpent rolled furiously across the ground, shaking the entire tavern. The first floor was now in ruins, scattered with shattered antiques and furniture.

“Where is Si Qun… he couldn’t have digested this fast, could he?” Yuan Yuanyuan searched desperately, shaking her wrist. Suddenly, her eyes caught something below.

It was an antique that had always sat in the tavern. Now, nearly all fragile items were destroyed, except for that one still quietly in place.

It was a slim dagger—longer than a typical one, shorter than a sword. It looked like a real weapon, likely placed as decor by someone long ago.

Daggers and swords differ a lot. Though all could be used in deceptive techniques, daggers were the true tools of the trade.

Yuan Yuanyuan suddenly appeared next to it, startling a nearby demon who hadn’t escaped in time. The little demon screamed, “Ah!”

Yuan Yuanyuan glanced up. Seeing it was just a little one, she reflexively smiled at her, then turned into red smoke and zipped away.

Holding the daggers, she noted they resembled short Emei piercers more than standard knives…

She looked toward the massive demon—his body was now covered in holes she had poked while darting across it. She’d checked everywhere she could, and still no sign of Si Qun.

A heavy feeling settled in her chest. She didn’t dare to think where Si Qun might be. She couldn’t stop searching either, so she kept stabbing.

“Enough.”

A voice suddenly came to her ear.

Yuan Yuanyuan turned—it was the tavern owner.

“Stop now,” the boss lady said. “If this keeps up, the whole tavern’s going down.”

Yuan Yuanyuan looked at the serpent again—somehow, he was already on his last breath. Then she looked at the holes… and realized she had unknowingly stabbed over a hundred.

No matter how big the snake, a hundred holes would still turn it into a leaky sack.

The demons below looked at the now-wrecked snake, and then at the black-clad figure who had just leapt down. Their hearts were filled with complex emotions.

Even among demons, there were innate differences. Tigers and lions, once turned demon, became fearsome. But ants or grass… even if they became demons, they were always at a disadvantage.

In such a world, the Way of Assassination was born.

It was originally created by the smallest demons—those unable to defeat larger foes head-on.

Yuan Yuanyuan looked around, trying to spot the figure in white—but after scanning the whole room, nothing.

She didn’t even know how to feel. Maybe… “drawn sword in all directions, heart lost in the fog.”

She glanced at the lobby’s hanging clock. It was nearly midnight. Just a few more minutes and the day would be over.

“Dying on your birthday—Si Qun, what the hell?!”

Her head was spinning. Then she vanished, leaving the crowd behind exchanging bewildered glances.

Yuan Yuanyuan reappeared in the kitchen. She wanted to change clothes and find Li Zi Jie to talk about Si Qun.

She entered quietly—empty.

Usually only Si Qun and Li Zi Jie were back here. If Li Zi Jie were here, there’d be sunflower seed shells and nonstop chatter. But it was completely silent—so no one was around.

Yuan Yuanyuan tiptoed in, passing a table—and noticed a strange pile of little white bones.

“What… is this?” she stared. “A summoning circle?”

Each tiny bone was stacked like toy blocks, some ten centimeters high, yet still standing.

Her mind scattered a bit, and she headed toward the changing area.

And then—she locked eyes with a freshly changed Si Qun.

Yuan Yuanyuan froze.

So did Si Qun, who was staring at the bloody dagger in her hand.

“Wait!” She instinctively hid the knife behind her back, still baffled about how he got back.

She’d been fighting like hell outside—and when had he come back?!

Furious, she suddenly remembered—today was his birthday.

“The rooftop vent in the back kitchen… there’s a package. It’s your birthday gift,” she blurted after a long pause.

She felt like the words might give her internal bleeding.

Never mind… fine, I’m not mad. No use getting sick over it.

After thinking for a second, she added, “I’m delivering it for someone else. Happy birthday.”

Si Qun stood in the darkness, staring at the unfamiliar black-clad figure who vanished before him.

His eyes gleamed again in the shadows—glinting with something both chilling and bright.